Have you ever opened a party invitation in the mail and without a moment&8217;s hesitation decided not to go?

Maybe it was the food. Maybe it was the crowd. Or maybe it was the venue.

For me, it usually is a combination of small things, not one big thing, that ultimately determines whether I accept or decline an offer.

Any good host will tell you it is the attention to detail that can turn a normal affair into a great party.

I was driving around downtown Natchez last week when this question came to mind: When Natchez invites tourists to come visit our town, are they accepting or declining our invitation?

Clearly, many tourists come to our city each year. The initial lure of history and romance brings crowds of camera-clicking and money-spending sightseers to the many attractions Natchez and the Miss-Lou have to offer.

The invitation that Natchez has been sending tourists for almost 175 years is one of the best in the nation.

But if we sent a second invitation to those same tourists to come back to Natchez, would they come?

Are we paying attention to the simple details, like providing clear signage, maintaining city streets and providing adequate parking?

Driving into town tourists are met with a cacophony of signage &8212; directing them where to go to various attractions.

In some places signs are brown. In others they are blue. In other cases, old signs directing sightseers to the now vacant Depot still stand to confuse visitors even more.

Once they find their way, tourists have to then make their way down city streets.

Take Canal Street, for example. What was once a quick trip along the Natchez thoroughfare has become a slow crawl between State Street and D.A. Biglane Street.

Like a weird choreographed modern dance, cars maneuver around pot holes and sunken places in the street.

Fast &8212; slow &8212; veer right &8212; fast &8212; slow &8212; swerve left.

For locals it has quickly become routine. For unsuspecting tourists, the dance down Canal Street has to be a jarring experience, to say the least.

Like the condition of our roads, the ever present problem of downtown parking may only get worse without some attention from the city.

The gravel parking lot on Canal Street that in recent months has been filled with parked cars is soon to be filled with construction crews and building materials.

A new convention center hotel will soon be added to the Natchez skyline.

A good thing, city leaders may say.

But what happens now to the 500 or so cars that once had a convenient parking space across from the city convention center? Where are they to park?

A downtown parking situation that is already bursting at the seams is sure to worsen with the addition of hundreds of new cars.

What once was a quick trip across Canal Street, now may prove to be a five or six block trek. In the heat of the summer, such a walk could make an impression &8212; maybe not the impression city leaders might want.

Will any one of these things cause tourists to not come back to Natchez?

Probably not.

But the combination of experiences &8212; being lost in a city with bad streets and no parking &8212; could leave a feeling that causes tourists to think twice about coming back for another visit.

Natchez is handing out invitations. Are tourists accepting or declining?

Are we paying attention to the details?

Ben Hillyer

is the visual editor of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3552 or

ben.hillyer@natchezdemocrat.com

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